Molise
Molise's smoked stretched-curd cheese — the same pasta filata technique as Mozzarella but worked hotter and dried for 2-3 days until semi-firm, then cold-smoked over beech wood and cherry wood chips for 12-24 hours producing a burnished, amber-brown shell with a smoky, milky interior. Beloved grilled directly on the plancha or over coals where it softens and develops a caramelised, golden exterior while the interior melts to a pull-apart stringy mass. One of the most culinarily versatile cheeses in the southern Italian repertoire.
Milky, smoky, with a caramelised crust when grilled and a stretchy, pull-apart interior — one of southern Italy's most satisfying cooking cheeses
The pasta filata stage (stretching in hot water at 80°C) must be worked until the curd is completely smooth and uniform — any granularity produces uneven smoking and uneven melting. After forming and tying, the cheeses must air-dry for 48-72 hours before smoking — wet cheese produces a steamed rather than smoked exterior. Cold smoking (under 30°C) prevents the fat from rendering during smoke absorption.
For grilling: slice 1.5cm thick and cook on a very hot cast-iron griddle or over direct coals with NO added oil — the cheese's fat provides all the lubrication needed. Serve immediately with roasted sweet peppers, or on bruschetta with crushed tomatoes. The unsmoked version (scamorza bianca) can be dipped in egg and fried — a Molisano classic.
Hot-smoking (over 40°C) cooks the cheese rather than smoking it — producing a dry, crumbly result when grilled later. Grilling without sufficient heat — the cheese needs high, direct heat to caramelise the exterior before the interior melts entirely. Not air-drying before smoking produces a wet, steamed exterior rather than a clean smoky rind.
I Formaggi del Molise — Accademia Italiana della Cucina